LYNN HAVEN — Angela Fernandez believes God is trying to send her a message.
More than 20 years ago, Fernandez was given a black, standard-sized King James Bible on her birthday. It was an occasional companion at Mosley High School, accompanying her to Fellowship of Christian Studentsmeetings in the choir room. Somewhere along the line, the Bible was lost, forgotten in the haze of teenage activity.
Now it has resurfaced, found in the rubble during Mosley High School construction this summer, perhaps where Fernandez left it near the choir room. Deemed unwanted, one of the workers placed it atop a trash pile.
But the construction manager retrieved the Bible — in part because of karmic superstition.
The construction manager brought the Bible to Principal Secretary Sheila Cook, who then relayed it to Hedges. The Bible found its way to Hedges, who happened to be a family friend of the Fernandezes and a pastor at a West Bay church.
“The way I was brought up you never throw away a Bible,” School Resource Deputy Tom Hedges said. “That’s like throwing away a Ouija board.”
Hedges returned the Bible to Fernandez, who was mystified to see the written note from her mother in the first pages — intact — and notes from high school friends serving as bookmarks.
“Maybe it’s God’s way of saying don’t give up,” Fernandez said.
Fernandez recently went through familial, financial and spiritual tribulations. A single mother paying for three children on a single liquor store clerk salary, she is pursuing certified nursing assistant certification and was taking care of an elderly family friend at her home in St. Andrews.
Fernandez’s 12-year-old daughter, Arianna, lives in Alabama with her paternal grandmother, a deal struck between Fernandez and Arianna’s father. Fernandez’s oldest child, 15-year-old Ryan, recently received a diagnosis of Asperger syndrome, adding the expense of medical bills.
And the 35-year-old mother’s religious devotion has suffered. She said she still attends Lifeblood Church off State 22, but not as frequently as she would like — her job and children take up much of her time. She feels the return of the Bible has renewed her connection to God.
“God puts things in your life for a reason,” she said.
